Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-01

was running quite six knots, and he realized
that, burdened as he was, it would be quite
impractcable for him to try and reach it.
The only thing to do was to keep aioat.
Luckily the water was warm and he was n
strong swimmer. In minute or so he made
out that about fifty PAGES ahead some rocks
jutted out twenty yards into the bed of the
stream. Then, catching jess by the hair
with his left hand, he made his effort, and
desperate one it was. The broken water
boiled furiously round the rocks Presently
he was in it, and, better still, his feet touched
the ground. Next second he was swept Off
them and rolled over and over al the bottom
of the river, getting sadly knocked about
against the powders. Somehow he struggled
to his legs, still retaining his mold of jess.
Twice he fell and twice he struggled up
again. One more ciloIt-so The water was
only up 20 his thighs now, and he was obliged
to half carry his companion. As lie lifted
her he felt deadly sickness come over him.
but still he struggled ON like man, till at
last they both fell of u heap upon a big fiat
rock, and for Il while he remembered no
more.
When he came to himself again it was to
find jess, who had recovered sooner than H.
had, standing over him and chatting his hands
lHtlctu lllc sui was up, HucSNtO lnttJ lie
must have lost his senses for some time. He
rose with some difficulty and shook himself
Except for some bruises he was sound enough
"Are you hurt" he asked of jess, who,
pale and faint and bruised, her hat gone, her
dress torn by bullets and tho rocks, and, drip
ping water at every step, looked an exceed
ingly forlorn object.
"No," she said, feebly; mot very much"
IIa cut down tbp rock in N Sin fo
they were both shivering with cold What
is to be donel" he asked
ode" she said, fiercely; II meant to die
why did you not let me diel Ours is a posi-
ton that only death can set straight"
Don't be alarmed" he said your desire
will soon be gratifed; those numbering vii
lains will hunt us up presently"
The bed and banks of the river were
clothed with thin layers of mist, but as the
sun gathered poyer these lifted. The spot
where they had gone ashore was about 800
yards below that where the two Beers and
their horses had been destroyed by the light
ming on the previous night. Seeing the mist
lift, John insisted upon jess crouching with
him behind rock, so that they could look
up and down the river without being seen
themselves. Presently he made out the
forms of two horses grazing about 200 yards
away.
"Ah," he said, II thought SO; the devils
have off saddled there. Thank heaven, have
still got my revolver and the cartridges are
water tight. | mean to sell our lives as dearly
as | cam
"Why, john cried Jess following the line
of his outstretched hand, "those are not the
Beers horses; they are our two leaders that
broke loose i'll the water. Look, their collars
are still on"
"By Jove! so they are. Now, if only we
can catch them without being caught our.
selves, we have chance of getting out OF
this"
"Wcll, there is no cover about, and | can't
see any signs of Beers. They must have
been sure of having killed us and gone away.
John looked round and for the first time q
sense of hope began to creep into his heart
Perhaps they would survive, after all.
Lets go up and see. 1t is no good stopping
here; we must get some food somewhere
feel as weak as a cat"
She rose without a word, and, taking hi.
band, they advanced together along the
bank. They had not gone twenty yards be
fore John gave an exclamation of JOY anC
'',,shed at something white that had stuck il
some reeds. 1t was the basket uf food which
had been given to them by the innkeeper'
wife at Heidelberg. 1t had been washed ont
of the cart. and, as the lid was fastened
nothing had been lost out of it. He undid it
There was the bottle of three star brandy un
touched, also most of the eggs, meat anC
bread which last was, of course, sOdden ant
worthless 1t did not take long to get The
cork out, and then John filled broken VINE
glass there was in the basket half full y
water and half of brandy, and MADE Jcs
drink it, with the result that she Logan Il
look little less like corpse. NEXT he re
pe;,ted the process twice on his own account
and instantly felt as though new life wa
flowing into him. Then they went cautiousl,
on.
The horses allowed them to catch then
without trouble and did not appear to be an,
the worse for their adventure, though tn
flank of one was grazed by bullet.
"There is a tree there where the ban
shelves over: we had better tie the horses VI
dress and get some breakfast" said John, a
most cheerfully; and accordingly they pre-
ceeded thther. Suddenly John, who wa
ahead, started back with an exclamation @
fear, and the horses began to snort for there
stark and stiff in DEATH and already swolle
and discolored by decomposition-as is some
times the case with people killed by lightnn
the rifles in their hands twisted and fuset
their clothes cut and blown from the bodie
by the explosion of the cartridges in thei
bandoiers-lay the two Beers themselves.
was terrifying sight, and, taken i'll commune
ton with their own remarkable escape, on
to make the most careless and skeptical II
fleet.
"And yet there are people who say tbs
there is no such thing as a God and no pun
ishment for wckedncss," said John aloud.
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